The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) expansion draft is an event hosted by the WNBA as needed that allows expansion teams to select from a pool of existing WNBA players to build their debut rosters. Pre-existing WNBA teams are allowed to protect six players on their current rosters from being drafted.
Prior to the 2000 expansion draft, the WNBA allocated players from outside of the league to new expansion teams both prior to and following the WNBA draft and expansion drafts.
On February 6, 2008, an expansion draft occurred to help fill the roster for the Atlanta Dream. The team also participated in the 2008 WNBA draft prior to the team's first season.[1]
On December 6, 2024, an expansion draft occurred to help fill the roster for the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The team also participated in the 2025 WNBA draft prior to the team's first season in 2025.[3]
The WNBA announced on September 30, 2024 that the expansion draft would be held on December 6 and televised by ESPN, and also announced the draft rules. Each existing WNBA team had to provide the league office with a list of all players to which it held contract rights as of the final day of the 2024 regular season; the submission deadline was not determined, but was expected to be about 10 days before the draft. Each team also had to designate no more than six players who would not be eligible for selection. The Valkyries were allowed to select one available player from each of the 12 previously existing teams. Only one player eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season could be chosen, and that player could not have played under a "core player" contract for two or more seasons. The Valkyries were allowed to make trades prior to the expansion draft, including agreements to (1) select a given player and trade that player to another team, or (2) select or not select an available player from a given team.[4]
Sometime following the 2025 season, an expansion draft will occur that will help fill the roster for the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, both of which are scheduled to begin play in the 2026 season. The details and rules for this draft are currently unknown.
During a press conference in October 2024, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated that the league seeks to have a 16th team installed by the 2028 WNBA season.[6] According to Sports Business Journal, bids from Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Austin, Kansas City, Orlando, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver, and Houston, St.Louis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit as well as multiple bids for Miami, are expected for the next expansion team.[7]
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